These are sites I commonly visit for research, general art information and inspiration.
Communication Arts - The largest creative magazine in the world that showcases the top work in graphic design, advertising, illustration, photography and interactive design. If you want to communicate an idea this is the site to use for inspiration.
American Artist - The leading monthly magazine for representational and figurative artists. They are devoted to the realism in art and consider the artists they feature to be shining examples of excellence in their medium, whether oil paint, sculpture, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, graphite, printmaking, or charcoal. This site has the best "how-to" tutorials.
Juxtapoz - Art and Culture magazine out of the West Coast that both helps define and celebrate urban contemporary art. It tends to focus on pop surrealism and figurative craftsmanship. I find this site helpful in keeping up with fresh ideas on the edge of fine art.
ArtForum - An international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. ArtForum is widely known as a decisive voice in its field. As well as in-depth articles and reviews of contemporary art, the magazine features book reviews, columns on cinema and popular culture, and numerous full-page advertisements from prominent galleries around the world.
The Art Newspaper - The site is published in a newspaper, rather than a magazine format. It caters particularly for the art professional and is considered invaluable source of information about art and the art world. It stresses accuracy that embraced an editorial policy that consistently reveals a high degree of seriousness and sense of responsibility.
ArtsJournal - A daily updated summary, with links to the complete articles from print publications or Internet magazines. Each day ArtsJournal features link to stories pulled from more than 200 English-language newspapers, magazines and publications featuring writing about arts and culture.
Scene 360 - An online film and arts magazine which profiles and interviews artists, photographers, web designers, filmmakers, musicians, and poets with a focus on their career and analysis of the driving forces behind their work.
artnow - Online resource that provides breaking art news. I like that it has a more European view and very visual formate.
Ceramic Arts Daily - Ceramic newsletter updated daily. The site is an online community serving active potters and ceramic artists worldwide, as well as those who are interested in finding out more about this craft. It also provide links to the Ceramic Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines. I find this site helpful when looking for inspiration in shape and design with clay.
Sculpture - A.K.A the International Sculpture Center (ISC) is a nonprofit organization founded to advance the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique, vital contribution to society. I find this site helpful in explaining Sculptural artworks, which is not easy because sculpture has gone more conceptual.
ARTnews - ARTnews is the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world. It reports on the art, personalities, issues, trends and events shaping the international art world. ARTnews has balanced reporting on contemporary art with coverage of modern and old masters. In recent years, it has expanded its content to include profiles of notable collectors, museum directors and scholars; travel itineraries filled with art appreciation; inside views of the art market; and reports from the world of design.
logolounge - A dynamic site dedicated to logos. I like this site because I like the "less is more" inspiration that logos provide.
Additional Art Links - Art Associations, Art Education, Art Schools, Art Supplies and Art Museums that American Artist online found helpful.
Major Art Museums
Below are some of the more popular and influential art museums. These are great resources for researching art, artist and art movements.
Artcyclopedia - Not a real museum, but it feels like one because it provides so much information about great art on the internet. I often find artcyclopedia the most helpful site when I want to look for an artist, art movement, famous artwork from an artist or what museums hold that artist artwork.
Louvre - (Paris) The most famous museum in the world. It has a massive encyclopedic (a.k.a everything) collection and a very good website.
Art Institute of Chicago - A school and a giant encyclopedic museum. Out of the museums I have personally visit, it is my favorite.
MoMA - (Museum of Modern Art, New York) Probably the only museum to rival the Louvre for popularity, the MoMA focus is on modern and contemporary art. Its mission is to help you understand and enjoy the art of our time.
Guggenheim - Four museums (New York, Venice, Bilbao, Berlin and soon Abu Dhabi) that are know as much for the there famed buildings as for the art they hold. Focus in on 20th century, contemporary and modern art.
MET - (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Another encyclopedic museum with a huge collection and a good website.
TATE - Britain's premier art museums (Liverpool, St Ives and two in London) that focus on British art from the Renaissance to the present and international contemporary and modern art.
National Gallery of Art - (NGA) Located in D.C. the museum plays a national role by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art mainly from the United States. I love this museum because admission is free any day of the week.
Philadelphia Museum of Art - One of the largest art museums in the United States. Again it is an encyclopedic art museum that has dozens of special exhibitions that attract hundreds of thousands of people.
The Getty - (Las Angles) A private museum created by a huge trust from the wealthy J. Paul Getty. It seeks to further knowledge of the visual arts (big in art education) and to nurture critical seeing by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting works of art.
The Hermitage - (St. Petersburg) Contains over 3 million art works, many masterpieces and excellent digital images on its website.
The British Museum - (London) The collection spans two million years of human history. You will find art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures. Admission is free.
The Ufizzi (Florence, Italy) Houses works of the famous Italian masters.
Smithsonian Institution - (Washington D.C.) Largest museum and research complex in the world and has a few museums dedicated to the arts.
Table of Contents
Elements and Principles of Art Information Links
Have questions? Use these links for references to the elements and principals of art.
Elements of Art Links: Line, Shape, Color, Value, Texture, Form, Space
Principles of Art Links: Pattern (Rhythm), Balance, Emphasis, Unity, Proportion, Variety, Movement
Art Magazine Links
These are sites I commonly visit for research, general art information and inspiration.
Communication Arts - The largest creative magazine in the world that showcases the top work in graphic design, advertising, illustration, photography and interactive design. If you want to communicate an idea this is the site to use for inspiration.
American Artist - The leading monthly magazine for representational and figurative artists. They are devoted to the realism in art and consider the artists they feature to be shining examples of excellence in their medium, whether oil paint, sculpture, watercolor, pastel, colored pencil, graphite, printmaking, or charcoal. This site has the best "how-to" tutorials.
Juxtapoz - Art and Culture magazine out of the West Coast that both helps define and celebrate urban contemporary art. It tends to focus on pop surrealism and figurative craftsmanship. I find this site helpful in keeping up with fresh ideas on the edge of fine art.
ArtForum - An international monthly magazine specializing in contemporary art. ArtForum is widely known as a decisive voice in its field. As well as in-depth articles and reviews of contemporary art, the magazine features book reviews, columns on cinema and popular culture, and numerous full-page advertisements from prominent galleries around the world.
The Art Newspaper - The site is published in a newspaper, rather than a magazine format. It caters particularly for the art professional and is considered invaluable source of information about art and the art world. It stresses accuracy that embraced an editorial policy that consistently reveals a high degree of seriousness and sense of responsibility.
ArtsJournal - A daily updated summary, with links to the complete articles from print publications or Internet magazines. Each day ArtsJournal features link to stories pulled from more than 200 English-language newspapers, magazines and publications featuring writing about arts and culture.
Scene 360 - An online film and arts magazine which profiles and interviews artists, photographers, web designers, filmmakers, musicians, and poets with a focus on their career and analysis of the driving forces behind their work.
artnow - Online resource that provides breaking art news. I like that it has a more European view and very visual formate.
Ceramic Arts Daily - Ceramic newsletter updated daily. The site is an online community serving active potters and ceramic artists worldwide, as well as those who are interested in finding out more about this craft. It also provide links to the Ceramic Monthly and Pottery Making Illustrated magazines. I find this site helpful when looking for inspiration in shape and design with clay.
Sculpture - A.K.A the International Sculpture Center (ISC) is a nonprofit organization founded to advance the creation and understanding of sculpture and its unique, vital contribution to society. I find this site helpful in explaining Sculptural artworks, which is not easy because sculpture has gone more conceptual.
ARTnews - ARTnews is the oldest and most widely circulated art magazine in the world. It reports on the art, personalities, issues, trends and events shaping the international art world. ARTnews has balanced reporting on contemporary art with coverage of modern and old masters. In recent years, it has expanded its content to include profiles of notable collectors, museum directors and scholars; travel itineraries filled with art appreciation; inside views of the art market; and reports from the world of design.
logolounge - A dynamic site dedicated to logos. I like this site because I like the "less is more" inspiration that logos provide.
Additional Art Links - Art Associations, Art Education, Art Schools, Art Supplies and Art Museums that American Artist online found helpful.
Major Art Museums
Below are some of the more popular and influential art museums. These are great resources for researching art, artist and art movements.
Artcyclopedia - Not a real museum, but it feels like one because it provides so much information about great art on the internet. I often find artcyclopedia the most helpful site when I want to look for an artist, art movement, famous artwork from an artist or what museums hold that artist artwork.
Louvre - (Paris) The most famous museum in the world. It has a massive encyclopedic (a.k.a everything) collection and a very good website.
Art Institute of Chicago - A school and a giant encyclopedic museum. Out of the museums I have personally visit, it is my favorite.
MoMA - (Museum of Modern Art, New York) Probably the only museum to rival the Louvre for popularity, the MoMA focus is on modern and contemporary art. Its mission is to help you understand and enjoy the art of our time.
Guggenheim - Four museums (New York, Venice, Bilbao, Berlin and soon Abu Dhabi) that are know as much for the there famed buildings as for the art they hold. Focus in on 20th century, contemporary and modern art.
MET - (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) Another encyclopedic museum with a huge collection and a good website.
TATE - Britain's premier art museums (Liverpool, St Ives and two in London) that focus on British art from the Renaissance to the present and international contemporary and modern art.
National Gallery of Art - (NGA) Located in D.C. the museum plays a national role by preserving, collecting, exhibiting, and fostering the understanding of works of art mainly from the United States. I love this museum because admission is free any day of the week.
Philadelphia Museum of Art - One of the largest art museums in the United States. Again it is an encyclopedic art museum that has dozens of special exhibitions that attract hundreds of thousands of people.
The Getty - (Las Angles) A private museum created by a huge trust from the wealthy J. Paul Getty. It seeks to further knowledge of the visual arts (big in art education) and to nurture critical seeing by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting works of art.
The Hermitage - (St. Petersburg) Contains over 3 million art works, many masterpieces and excellent digital images on its website.
The British Museum - (London) The collection spans two million years of human history. You will find art and antiquities from ancient and living cultures. Admission is free.
The Ufizzi (Florence, Italy) Houses works of the famous Italian masters.
Smithsonian Institution - (Washington D.C.) Largest museum and research complex in the world and has a few museums dedicated to the arts.